Far Cry
by Silent's
Summary: You can't steal food and expect nothing to happen. The child would have to learn this the hard way. How? By doubling everything that -was- in his inventory. But can The Gentleman Scientist deal with The Boorish Young Lady? (Not a love story. More like a father daughter relationship.)
1. Chapter 1

Day one:

Food.

Food was the only thing that was needed at the moment for the Lone Figure that stood in the dead fields, acid eating at the inner lining of their stomach. The wind blew to the east of the shaded figure in its brown cloak, the golden grass touching their bare legs ever so slightly to make them shiver in even more distress of the foreign world before them. The sun's hues gave off an orange tent to the life below it, the temperature plummeting to a spring like weather as silence grew once more.

Mud brown eyes scanned their surroundings once again, as if their eyes had tricked them in such a cruel way. But disappointment rose as their heartbeat rung in their ears. There was no ridding the sight before them; life had pulled a cruel left turn on the human. A low growl was heard erupting from the chapped lips of the person, fists clenching to the point their fingernails were digging into the palm of their filthy hands.

Their cold eyes locked onto their black boots as numbness started to set in, a thousand thoughts clouded their mind and faded the sight before them. It was going so well at the time they were working on everything that was planned. A gust of wind blew, making the fields wave slowly like the ocean tides the small traveler's village had surrounding it. A few crows arose from the fields and flew towards the sun, their wings flapping drastically in its direction. Their train of thought was interrupted as the crows clawed piercingly loud, making them turn in the direction which they were heading. The sun settled at the horizon as the shadows it casted grew longer and longer with each minute that passed.

The more the Lone Figure watched the sun set, the more something in their gut rose as suspicion settled in. It seemed at all the birds in the field were flying out of the fields and heading in the direction of the sun.

"Say, you don't look so good."

The Lone Figure grew rigged at the cold voice behind them, their spine tingling in discomfort as their eyes widened in distress. Every bone in their body froze in fear as their blood boiled in rage. He was the reason this had happened. He was the reason why the small being could no longer see the ones that they loved. He had tricked them to go on with his sick little plot without them even knowing.

A small gulped was heard, and shortly after a shaky response was heard, saying, "Maxwell, a pleasure."

Maxwell chuckled at this, making their skin crawling at this small act.

"You should get some food and fire before night comes," He chimed, the sound of his leather black shoes crunching under the dead grass around them. With each step, the small unknown traveler's heart lurched further and further into their throat as their throat tightened making it near to impossible to breath. Maxwell stopped in front of them, his shadow covering his newest victim as he towered over them, a smirk crossing his thin lips.

Maxwell was a tall man with a strong jawline that matched somewhat with a starting boxers jawline, black hair combed back with grease like a man you could find in the back of a bar drinking scotch on the rocks and had the black pin striped suit to match, cold lifeless eyes that seemed to be ones that if a woman looked into them their heart would flutter, children would run in fear, and men would feel threatened, but all would feel as if help could come from the owner of those cold black eyes.

But all would be used to the bitter end for his own needs as soon as he opened his mouth and let his silver tongue do the work.

"We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you," Maxwell patted the lone individual on the top of their head with his skinny pale right hand. Vomit rose to small beings throat as they bit the bottom of their lip to stay silent for the time being. Such fake kindness was used to trick them into doing his bidding. "Now would we?"

The Lone Figure shook their head solemnly, not really wanting to hold a conversation with Maxwell seeing as how he was getting a sick joy out of it all.

"Good," He said, pulling his hand away.

As his hand left their head, black ash like smoke formed around Maxwell, his smirk growing as his form slowly dissipated. The Lone Figure stepped back, eyes watering and stinging in pain as the dead grass rubbed against their bare legs, the air in their lugs having the black ash smoke entering them and making it hard to breath. The cloaked being covered their mouth with their small right hand and coughed madly, but kept their eyes locked onto the slowly dissipating man before them.

"And remember," Maxwell stated soothingly, his smirk growing into a full out grin. "Food and Fire."

And with that, a gust of wind blew and carried the black smoke away, leaving nothing more than the startled being to stand in the fields alone once again. Brown eyes darted around the foreign fields and trees that surrounded them as they brought their arms against their chest and rubbed their hands in worry. There was no way that they could make it out in the wilderness in such circumstances. Their eyes began to sting and water as fear built up.

Not like this.

Lone Figure started to run straight towards the horizon, hidden rodents running farther into the fields with each step The Lone Figure took blindly in fear. Light, fire, food, comfort, shelter, there was just too much that they had to do that they never learned in their lifetime. A snag from the left of one their foot caused them to tumble face first to the tall grass field, dust particles hovering above as I whimper of distress came from the fallen traveler. Setting up and grabbing onto their bloody, bruised and scratched covered face in agony, the animals dashed away towards the light around them in fear. It stung so much.

Their eyes darted to the sun as a small gasp escaped their chapped lips. The sun was close to being under the horizon and fear was now completely overwhelming them to the point the pain had subsided. Standing with their knees aching from the tumble, they continued towards the sun in blind fear. The more they ran, the taller the dead grass became. Now touching their chin and brushing against their bloodied and cut face. They had to find food and make a fire before it was too late. They pushed the grass aside as the orange hue of the sun began to slowly vanish over the tall field of grass. Their heart thudded loudly in their ears as tears stung their mud brown eyes.

This wasn't really the end for them, was it?

Snapping sounds from the left of the traveler stopped them in their tracks, a gust of warm wind hitting the side of their face as an intoxicating fragrance enters their nostril. The smell was one of freshly cooked meat, juices bubbling and hitting the flames that made the meat so tender and succulent sizzling with each drop that was met. It was as if they could just taste the meat melting right in their mouth and warming their stomach as if it were a freshly made cup of tea on a drizzly spring day. With all worries and fears vanished, they blindly followed the aroma with half lidded eyes and a growling aching stomach urging them forward towards their future meal.

With each step the aroma of the meal grew more pungent and desirable to the lone traveler, the site of which the aroma was coming from now in site over the tall field of dead grass. They smiled, and then dashed forward towards the campsite in a moment of delight. Food and a campsite, this took care of what Maxwell had told them to find before night had fallen. Pushing through the tuffs of tall grass and entering the small campsite, the cloaked figure stumbled into the level grounded area to see that the field of dead grass had actually ended when met with the campsite and beyond the campsite were level grounded patches of dirt and pine trees.

After scanning the surrounding area, their eyes locked onto a crockpot that was bubbling and fuming with the meal they had ventured for. Tripping over their own feet practically, they walked over to the crockpot and stared at the cooked meat with gluttonous eyes and an empty stomach reminding them as to why they had followed the scent. Grabbing the bone that had the succulent meat hanging off from it, they pulled the sizzling, well done, meat from the crockpot and began to devour it within seconds. The heat coming off the meat burned their lips, mouth, and tongue as tears from the pain clouded their eyes. But they ignored the overwhelming pain and devoured the morsel with in the blink of an eye, the overwhelming hunger still there within them.

They glanced up and spotted a small wooden chest to the right of them, like an omen in disguise. Tumbling towards the chest and falling to their knees, they opened the chest to have the fire behind them shone the light to the objects held inside it. A smile spread across their chapped thin lips as starring back at them was an assortment of fruits and vegetables, just waiting to be eaten just as how the morsel of meat had been. With each hand that went into the chest, a hand full of a mixture of the two entered the traveler's mouth and was met with their fate.

As time passed, the chest had emptied and the traveler sat in front of it, stomach full and eye growing heavier. The deed had been done, and now all that was left was to rest until the next day. As they let the events that had taken place seep into their mind, things began to arise that made their gut unsettled. The sun was long gone, and the moon had risen along with the stars to give some supporting light with the fire that was behind the traveler. No sound expected the snapping of the fire was heard from the foreign land as darkness seemed to turn even darker in some strange way.

The lone traveler's heart began to drop as their eyes scanned at campsite. They had just stole food from someone that was in the same position as them. It felt so wrong, as if they had just depleted the chances of this person, or persons, surviving the event. For all the little traveler knew, they could have been in this personal hell for years and now, because of their own personal needs, they had sealed the fate for this human or humans. Their gut became ill as sweat drenched down the side of their pale rounded face and drenching their copper blond hair that was hidden under their red hood. It wasn't right what they had done.

Their hands traveled up to their chest and grabbed onto the white fabric of their clothing as their eyes stung and watered at the thought of this small campsite housing dead due to their actions. They had to leave. They had to leave before they came back and found that a stranger had stolen all of their food rationings. A sound of dirt being stepped on lightly was heard from behind them, making their blood run cold and mud brown eyes widen in distress. A thin shadow stretched over them from the flames of the campfire placed behind them as the only thing heard from around was the snaps of the fire and the hitched breathing of the cloaked figure.

Anger, rage, fury, use the term that you so wish to the owner of the campsite was feeling all of them as the blood in their veins bubbled at the site of this parasite eating days upon days…No, weeks of hard work under the blistering sun and dreadful dry heat just for them to stumble upon their campsite and eat to their hearts' content. Their grip on the shovel in their hands tightened as the splintered wood dug into the palm of their callused hands. With the shovel raised above their head as grinded their teeth in aggravation, the thief rigged as if knowing someone was behind them. They would _not_ let this continue on any further than it had.

With one powerful swing of the shovel and an impact to the side of their head, a loud clank was heard travel throughout the night so thunderous that it was a wonder that no animals nearby were startled. The vibration of the impact ran up their arms in a rush as their heart thudded loudly in their ears at the vicious act that they had just bestowed upon the being, the being toppling to the ground below their feet. Keeping the shovel high and ready to strike again, the tip of the shovel pointing down to penetrate the back of their neck to separate the head from the spine completely, they prepared themselves for the final blow to rid of the vermin that had depleted their food supplies.

But with one gust of wind everything changed in an instant. The hood of cloak had moved ever so slightly away from the thief's face to reveal who they truly were. The owner of the camp lowered the shovel in their hands slowly; sweat collecting on their brow as they breathed deeply to pull themselves together the best they could, their eyes widening in disbelief at what was before their very feet. Crimson blood flooded from the cloaked figure's right temple and accumulated into a pool below their head onto the dirt ground.

This was… interesting to say the least.

Before their feet laid a female pubescent, pale white skin that shone in the fire's light, copper blond hair that seemed to be shoulder length but it was hard for them to tell do to the red hood still being on, a round face that was now covered in blood and dirt exposed to the fire, and a small button like nose that seemed to have been broken at one time do to the small bump on the bridge of the nose. The owner of the camp sighed and rubbed their free hand on their face, anger replacing with shear annoyance as their sleep deprived eyes stayed locked onto the child.

This child had depleted their entire food rationings, and they were not about to let them get away with such a crime simply do to the age of the raider and the fact it was the first human they had seen in so long. They should have been thrilled beyond compare at the sight of another human really, seeing as how they were going bonkers beyond repair without human socialization. Growling in annoyance, they tossed the shovel to the side and trotted to the other side of the camp with a small ploy formulating within their mind. Reaching to another chest that was hidden behind the diminutive grass tent that seemed to be slowly falling apart, they pulled out a rope that was also made out of dead grass. They glanced over their shoulder to the unconscious adolescent with a grim expression plastered onto their face. Did they certainly want to go through with such a thing? It was guaranteed to lead to nothing but inconveniences to their plans.

_"Whether they are an adolescent or a fully developed human being, one must be disciplined upon improper demeanors." _

Their grip on the rope increased as they rose from their knees as turned towards the child.

And this, my readers, is where their journey beings.


	2. Chapter 2

Day Two:

Birds chirps arose from the forest trees as the sun slowly rose and awoken the sleep of all that was around. Water rushed in the rivers as fields of dead grass moved ever so slightly in the gentle wind, jackrabbits rummaging through the tuffs of grass for any source of food that hadn't been taken yet by so many other hungry creatures, the dry heat wavering through the wind. In the distains a male figure sat on a decent sided rock, blood shot eyes with dark circles around them locked onto a girl that was tied to a pine tree, hanging upside down by her ankles. Her copper blond hair moved with the dry wind along with her red cloak, sweat running down the side of her rounded face as she remand unconscious from the prior night's events.

He had been waiting for quite some time for this thief to awaken from their slumber, and it was getting bothersome seeing as how he could've been doing an assortment of different thing that day. But then again, seeing the child awake in such a situation was going to be quite amusing. He popped one of brightly colored red berries that were in his left hand into his mouth, kicking his feet ever so slightly as to stay awake for the third day in a row. Lucky for him he had found a small amount of food on the way to the pine tree. He glanced up to the sun that was peeking its way through the fully grown trees, leaves moving gently in the dry wind as the sound of katydids chirping nosily around the area. It was near noon and the girl had yet to awaken.

He turned his eyes back to the girl. Where he had hit her on the temple with the shovel had grown a knot the size of half a lime, red and swollen as the blood started to scab. He placed another berry into his mouth, eyeballing the injury as his mind started clicking at the sight of it. Seeing as how he had just gotten done picking up Beefalo dung with the shovel that night, chances are the injury was going to get infected do to the dung that was slathered on to it. He swallowed the food that was in his mouth and let his mind gather all of the information that was running through his head, placing yet another berry into his mouth. He was going to have to disinfect it before it was truly infected beyond repair. And for that, honey, spider glans and ash were needed to make a healing salve to apply to the cut.

Even more to add onto the ever growing list.

Sliding his backpack off his shoulder and placing it on his lap, he began roaming through the inside of the backpack with a gloom expression on his face as he placed the remaining berries inside the backpack. He really didn't want to waste his last healing salve on such a thing. It really did seem like such a waste. Finding the healing salve at last, he placed the backpack on the forest flooring and slid off the bolder, healing salve in hand. Approaching the girl that was hanging upside down, he mixed the healing salve with a stick that was placed into a stone blow one last time. He inspected the wound carefully, seeing that the gash on the temple was intensely enflamed where the blood was not clotted, hinting towards the side of a starting infection.

He dipped a slender pale index finger into the salve and carefully applied it to the wound as to avoid making any more discomfort to the protuberance on her temple. But as hard as he tried to avoid causing pain when applying the salve, a slight moan came as soon as he had done this act. The child stirred as a grimace of pain flashed across her bloodied pale face, the male himself ceasing his actions completely but not removing his right hand away from the injury. His sleep deprived eyes were glued onto the child, the stern and business like expression never fading from his pale face as the girl turned her head away from his hand and moan for a second time. Soon after, her eyelids fluttered open to reveal groggy doe like mud brown eyes.

A look of panic and alarm crossed over her face as her sight became clear and the sunlight revealed everything in the sun kissed forest and more. Including the enraged looking older man that was standing inches away from her face. The man had a thin, long, pale face and somewhat pointed chin with some beard stubble growing on his face. His eyes as dark as charcoal just as his strange W pointed greasy hair was that she couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from when she first awoken. The man appeared to be undernourished for his stature, his white collared T-shirt and red wool vest that was over it hanging off him like his slacking black pants that clung to his hips. He also wore black leather shoes, that she noticed when she heard him tapping his foot on the forest flooring.

The man frightened the girl in a way.

That and she was hanging upside down by a pine tree.

She felt herself go cold, even with the immense heat weighing down on the two of them. Her red cloak rubbed against her face gently in the wind, her copper blond hair doing the same and having strands stick to her left temple for some unbeknownst reason. The man's cold gaze didn't leave her sight, adding even more discomfort for her seeing as how she concluded that the man before her was the man that she had stolen food from the prior night. A painful pulsing sensation to her temple became noticed after investigating the man before her, and it was near to impossible to bear. It was as if someone was hitting her over the head with a hammer repeatedly.

"You stole my food," a deep cold voice stated, making the pain in her head ten times worse. She hissed slightly and raised her hand to her forehead, the man before her not carrying to ask if she was alright. He found no pity for a child that had stolen the remainder of his food, for a child that was casted in this hell just as him. "The _remainder_ of my food supply to be precise."

Another groan escaped her rosy red chapped lips as she forced one eye open. With a few shaky breaths, she glared at the man the best she could. He stood firm in front of her, hands placed behind his back as a cold expression crossed his pale face. It was hard for him not to laugh at this child's facial expression. The way she dressed and looked seemed as if she wouldn't harm a fly, let alone shoot a threating look at someone.

"Is that strange look you're giving me supposed to be intimidating?" he mused, raising an eyebrow in a questioning matter. Her face was crimson red, chapped lips pressed together thinly as her cheeks were slightly puffed out. "You look as if you are impersonating a puffer fish. Stop this instant if you wish to save any ounce of pride you have left within you."

She blinked twice at the statement, and then allowed herself to give up trying to intimidate the older man, her cheeks returning to normal as she focused her mud brown eyes on the man's feet. Letting a deep sigh escape his thin lips, he ran his right hand through his black hair as the bird chirps around the two of them were the only source that broke the silence in the wilderness. It was quiet pleasant when _he_ was the only one in this personal hell. It was as if they were singing him a song as he worked under the hot sun, chopped down trees and collected food. Now it just seemed to be annoying seeing as how he couldn't think straight while they did so.

He turned his gaze back to the child, catching her staring at him with worried looking eyes. She had a right to be worried in his eyes. She was not going to get away with what she had done. The rope tied around her thighs to keep her mud stained white dress up to refrain from her becoming exposed started to cut the blood circulation to her legs along with the rope tied around her ankles, making her legs numb.

"I want my food back," the little girl froze hearing this from him and in such a cold matter as well. It made her want to just throw up all the food that she had eaten the prior night. "And you're going to retrieve it for me."

"But I have no food," she stammered out fast, heart thudding in her chest quiet loudly as it rung into her ears. It came as a shock to the man when she had finally spoken. She had a soft voice of an adolescent that he hadn't heard in the longest time or any human voice that wasn't his own ludicrous mumbles. It was comforting in its own way really. He tossed the thought aside and went back to the task at hand.

He growled lowly, saying darkly, "Did you not hear my words? You are going to _retrieve _the food for me." He walked over to his backpack to pick it up and slid it onto his shoulder after putting away the healing salve. He heard the child huffed in frustration as the sound of her cloak being thrashed around in the wind came to his ears.

"I'm not a damned mongrel," she snapped at him harshly, swinging back and forth on the rope as she thrashed around violently. "And I do not intend on being one for the likes of you either!"

He turned to face her, making her halt in her actions drastically fast as fear washed over her at the sight of his face. His facial expression had turned into one of pure rage and disgust as his fists clenched to the point his knuckles had turned white against his pale skin. She didn't think that denying him like that was going to affect his mood so. He stomped over to the child, dead grass crunching under his dress shoes as the child felt every ounce of her belief of getting away alive vanished right before her eyes. He stopped mid inches away from her face, eyes hard as he raised a slender index finger to her face.

"A child your age should not speak in such a manor," he said slowly to her as he breathed deeply. "You are a lady and you will act as such even in a place such as this."

He pulled back slightly, the girl's eyes wide in disbelief. Had she really lost her touch of acting lady like? She did have a reason for acting in such a way, but she didn't think that it had consumed her that much. She shook her head to snap out of the thought. What was she thinking?! This man had her hanging upside down to a pine tree! She had every right to speak in such a matter! The man seemed to calm down after saying this, his shoulder relaxing as he unclenched his fists. But what was even more strange to her was the fact that he had gotten enraged by her speaking that one word, not the fact she had denied to retrieve the food she had eaten.

She frowned, saying somewhat questionably, "How does my way of speaking bother you so?"

He ran his hand through his hair once more, trying to collect himself as he let a sigh escape his lips.

"Because, humans have developed over thousands of years, showing proper manors only shows your intellectuality. So do not shame years of human evolution with that retched mouth of yours, Child."

The girl snorted at this, catching him off guard slightly as he dropped his hand to his side.

"A gentleman," she laughed, allowing her hands to grab onto  
her gut. "I did not think a gentleman would hang a lady upside down to a tree. Let alone knock one out, quiet painfully I might add."

"And I did not think a lady would take the remainder of someone else's food," he added in, a somewhat mocking tone withered into his voice. "But it seems that we were both incorrect with our hypothesis." He crossed his arms over his red wool vest, eyes lock onto the child. "Now, back to what is at hand. You, Child, shall collect my food supplies back before I allow you to leave my sight or side. Not only that, but you shall double what you had taken from my inventory."

The Child's eyes widened at his words. There was no way she was going to double everything that she had eaten, let alone stick to this man's side 'til the job was done. It was preposterous!

"I will house you for the time being, but you will have to provide for yourself. I am not going to bend over backwards just to feed two mouths. I have trouble feed myself as it is." Then, putting her pride aside for the time being, she let an idea roam around in her head. "Understand?"

She didn't like the idea of being stuck to yet another man's side. She bit her bottom lip, the words not wanting to come out of her mouth. She had to do it if she wanted to survive in such a place. The man did not move from his spot as the girl's mud brown doe eyes roamed around the forest. The sun began to slowly set as the two stayed silent, the man not all too worried about it but the girl felt fear wash over her at the sight of it. The birds flutter into the sky, souring towards the direction of the setting sun as the temperature began to lower drastically. The hair on the back of her neck rose as she turned her sights back to the man before her.

"I do," she replied hastily, eyes darting around the forest as noises from within the forest grew louder. The man before her nodded his head, satisfied with her agreement. He reached back into his backpack, pulled out an ax, the girl not all too sure what he was planning to do with it. With one swing of the ax, the girl tumbled to the ground head first a gasp of shock leaving her chapped lips.

"Delightful," he chirped, resting the ax on his shoulder as the girl rubber her head in pain, sitting up on the forest flooring to recollect herself and untie the ropes. He trotted forward with a blank expression on his face, not carrying to help the small adolescent up from the ground or her bonds. "Follow me once you are done, and make it quick, Child. Nightfall is coming momentarily."

"I have a name," she mumbled solemnly, getting the ropes off her legs and tossing them to the side. "And I'm not a child."

She stood from the ground and followed the steps of the gentleman, her finally laced white dress that was cover in dirt blowing in the wind along with her crimson cloak as she tried to catch up with every step he took. The dead grass crunching under her white dress shoe, the clasp digging into her ankle with each step.


End file.
